Apparatus for edging and resawing lumber

ABSTRACT

A battery of vertical band saws is adjustable to vary the spacing between bands and is used to both edge and resaw material. A preparation table upstream from the saws receives material from a recirculating conveyor or from a head rig, orients the material in the most desirable position for cutting and transfers the material endwise to an infeed table. The infeed table has toothed conveyor rolls for feeding the material positively into the saws, an overhead pneumatic roll for engaging the top of the material while edging and driven side press rolls for pressing the material against a line bar when resawing. Downstream from the saws an edge picker table has a pair of longitudinal separating plates normally aligned with the two outside saws for separating edge trimmings from the material to be processed into lumber. The plates are withdrawn from alignment with the saws when resawing. A sweep table receives material from the edge picker table and includes sweep fingers which sweep across the table for transferring material sideways to the recirculating conveyor and pivot downwardly to permit transfer of material endwise from such table.

United States Patent Fritz et a].

[451 Aug. 29, 1912 [S4] APPARATUS FOR EDGING AND RESAWING LUMBER [72]Inventors: Rene Fritz; Rene Eugene Fritz, both of Albany, Oreg. 731Assignee: Albany Machine & Supply Inc, Al-

bany, Oreg.

[22] Filed: Dec. 15, 1969 211 Appl. No.: 885,389

[52] US. Cl ..l98/l27, 143/22 [51] Int. Cl. ..B27b 15/08, B65g 13/02[58] Field of Search ....198/29, 66, 127, 167; 143/22, 143/157 D [56]Relerenees Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,139,125 6/1964 Pearson..143/l57 D 2,742,935 4/1956 Acton ..143/l57 D 3,401,785 9/1968 Ferrari..l98/l67 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 34,951 6/1913 Sweden..143/157 D Primary Examiner-Edward A. Sroka AttorneyBuckhom, Blore,Klarquist & Sparkman ABSTRACT A battery of vertical band saws isadjustable to vary the spacing between bands and is used to both edgeand resaw material. A preparation table upstream from the saws receivesmaterial from a recirculating conveyor or from a head rig, orients thematerial in the most desirable position for cutting and transfers thematerial endwise to an infeed table. The infeed table has toothedconveyor rolls for feeding the material positively into the saws, anoverhead pneumatic roll for engaging the top of the material whileedging and driven side press rolls for pressing the material against aline bar when resawing.

Downstream from the saws an edge picker table has a pair of longitudinalseparating plates normally aligned with the two outside saws forseparating edge trimmings from the material to be processed into lumber.The plates are withdrawn from alignment with the saws when resawing. Asweep table receives material from the edge picker table and includessweep fingers which sweep across the table for transferring materialsideways to the recirculating conveyor and pivot downwardly to permittransfer of material endwise from such table.

22 Claims, 32 Drawing Figures PAIENTEDmzs ma 3.681.269

' SHEEI Olflf 12 2O 32" 33 FIG. I I0 I "54 l FIG 6 LINES PER LOO LINEBAR-SETS RENE FRITZ RENE E. FRITZ EDGE mvmroa 5 64 BUCKHORN, BLORE,KLAROUIST G SPARKMAN ATTORNEYS PATENTEIHIIBZBIW 3.687.269 SHEEI 0'4 0?12 FIG. I3

RENE FRITZ RENE E. FRITZ INVENTORS BY BUCKHORN, BLORE, KlARQUIST 8-SPARKMAN ATFORNEYS PATENTEmuczs I972 sum as or 1 Nam RENE FRITZ 9 RENEE. FRITZ INVENTORS BUCKHORN, BLORE, KLARQUIST & SPARKMAN A TTORNE YSPATENTEB M1329 m? SHEET 07UF 12 FIG. 20

RENE FRITZ RENE E, FRITZ mvsmons BUCKHORN, BLORE, KLARQUIST & SPARKMANATTORNEYS PATENTEB I829 2 SHEEI DSUF 12 um 0E BUCK HORN, BlORE,KIARQUIST & SPARKMAN A HORNE YS APPARATUS FOR EDGING AND RESAWING LUMBERBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The presentinvention relates to the processing of logs into lumber, and moreparticularly to a machine capable of edging a log to form a cant,resawing the cant into boards and edging the boards, all using the samebattery of saws.

2. Description of the Prior Art Batteries of vertical band saws, some ofwhich are transversely movable, have been used in the past to flattentwo sides of a log for further processing by other saws downstream inthe mill. A battery of such saws has also been used to resaw cants intoboards after the cants have been formed by other saws upstream in themill. l-Ieretofore edging of lumber has been carried out by separate,usually circular saws which have the disadvantage of cutting a muchwider kerf than band saws and therefore producing much greater waste.The prior need for having a separate specialized and expensive sawapparatus to perform each of the different functions of forming a cant,resawing a cant into boards and edging boards has required tremendousoutlays of capital and large amounts of floor space, which many smallmill owners could not afford. Moreover, such prior operations require acontinuously large supply of raw material for efficient operation, whichis ofien available only to the largest of lumber companies.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, theneed for a specialized saw apparatus for performing each of thedifierent cutting operations in processing a log into lumber iseliminated through the use of a single battery of vertical band sawshaving adjustable spacing between the individual bands in combinationwith supporting upstream and downstream components, many of which areunique in themselves. The combination can edge a log into cants, resawcants into boards and edge boards to predetermined widths. Furthermore,the combination is adapted for automated, one-man, remote operation.

A unique aspect of the overall machine includes in combination with themultiple saws an infeed table having both a resilient overhead floatingroll for use in edging and driven side press rolls for pressing thematerial against a line bar for resawing.

Another unique aspect of the machine includes in combination with themultiple saws an outfeed system including a pair of separating platesnormally maintained in alignment with two of the saws for separatingedge trimmings from the remaining material but which can be retractedindividually or together to inoperative positions.

Still another unique aspect in combination with the saws is a secondfloating overhead roll downstream from the saws.

A further unique aspect includes in combination with the saws a sweeptable which selectively permits the cut material to be conveyed in anyone of three possible directions from such table, depending on whetherthe material is to be recirculated to the preparation table for furtherprocessing or to other processing stations. When the battery of sawsincludes only two saws, the

sweep table with slight modifications can be used directly behind thesaws and moved bodily to maintain alignment of the sweep fingers withthe saws. Split lift skid lifts enable the sweep table under suchcircumstances to separate edge trimmings from material to be resawn.

In another aspect. the band saws are provided with a unique saw guidewhich provides and maintains exact alignment of the saw bands with thematerial and which simplifies adjustment of the bands and enablesadjustment while the saws are operating.

Principal objects of the invention are to provide:

1. a machine capable of performing several sawing operations with asingle battery of saws including edging logs to form cants, resawingcants into boards and edging boards to predetermined widths;

2. a method of processing a log into lumber using a single battery ofsaws;

3. a machine as aforesaid that is fast;

4. a machine as aforesaid that is accurate;

5. a machine as aforesaid that requires only one man to operate;

6. a machine as aforesaid that occupies minimum floor space; and

7. a machine as aforesaid that is economical to manufacture, operate andmaintain.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The foregoing and other objects andadvantages of the present invention will become more apparent from thefoilowing detailed description which proceeds with reference to theaccompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an apparatus in accordance with theinvention showing the flow of material therethrough',

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the arrangement of saws, line bar andedging separator plates and setwo rks for the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 illustrate schematically examples of variousarrangements of the saws, line bar and separator plates of FIG. 2 forperforming different sawing functions;

FIG. 6 shows an example of a control panel for controlling the functionsshown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5;

FIGS. 7 and 8 are side elevational views showing all of the in linecomponents of the apparatus of FIG. 1 as taken along the lines 7-7 and8-8 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the preparation table portion of the apparatusas taken approximately along the line 9-9 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 10-10 ofFIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 11-11 ofFlG.9;

FIG. 12 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 12-12 ofFIG. 9;

FIG. 13 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the line 13- 13 ofFIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 14- 14 ofFIG. 9;

FIG. 15 is a plan view showing the infeed table, the saw section, infeedportion and part of the outfeed portion of the apparatus taken along theline 15-15 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 16 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 16-16 ofFIG. 7;

FIG. 17 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 17-17 ofFIG. 7;

FIG. 18 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 18-18 of FIG.17;

FIG. 19 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 19-19 of FIG.7',

FIG. 20 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 20-20 of FIG.19;

FIG. 21 is a plan view taken along the line 21-21 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 22 is a transverse sectional view taken approximately along theline 22-22 of FIG.

FIG. 23 is a plan view taken along the line 23-23 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 24 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 24-24 of FIG.23;

FIG. 25 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 25-25 ofFIG. 23;

FIG. 26 is a plan view similar to FIG. 23 but showing a modified sweeptable embodiment;

FIG. 27 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 27-27 ofFIG. 26;

FIG. 28 is a somewhat schematic partial side elevation of one of thevertical band saws taken approximately along the line 28-28 of FIG. 15;

FIG. 29 is a front view of the lower saw guide as viewed from the line29-29 of FIG. 28;

FIG. 30 is a horizontal section taken along the line 30-30 of FIG. 29;

FIG. 31 is a front view of the upper saw guide as viewed from the line31-31 of FIG. 28; and

FIG. 32 is a horizontal section taken along the line 32-32 of FIG. 31.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION General Assembly In general, the combinationedger-resaw apparatus of the present invention is composed of a seriesof distinct means or sections which, with reference to FIGS. 1, 7 and 8,include an infeed section 10, saw section 12, outfeed section 14 andrecirculating conveyor or merry-go-round" section 16. The latter sectionreconveys material from the downstream end of the outfeed section backto the infeed section for further processing in saw section 12.

The infeed section is further broken down into a preparation table 18which can receive material conveyed sideways either from recirculatingconveyor 16 or from a side transfer chain section on the opposite sideof such table, or endwise from apparatus (not shown) upstream from theend of the table. Transfer section 20 may transfer material from, forexample, the main head rig of the sawmill, a chipping head rig or anyother apparatus for putting at least one flat side on a log. Such tableincludes means for moving the material bodily sideways on the table andfor turning or flipping the material in either direction about its axisuntil oriented as desired. The table also includes side transfer meansfor conveying material sideways from either side of the table onto thetable. Just downstream from the preparation table an infeed table 22functions to feed material positively and accurately into the multiplesaws in saw section 12.

Outfeed section 14 is composed of two distinct components including anedge picker table 24 and a sweep table 26. The function of the edgepicker table is to separate edge trimmings from the material to be madeinto finished lumber and to convey the trimmings sideways from the mainconveyor line, while permitting the edged material to continuedownstream to the sweep table. The function of the sweep table is toselectively convey the material in either one of at least two andpossibly three different directions as desired, including sideways fromthe table to the recirculating conveyor for reprocessing or downstreamfrom the end of such table.

The recirculating conveyor is typically made up of three sectionsincluding an offbear conveyor 28 made up of a series of parallelconveyor chains leading from one side of sweep table 26, a longitudinalconveyor section 29 parallel to the saw line, and an infeed conveyorsection 30 which carries the material sideways from conveyor section 29back to the preparation table. Section 29 is usually made up of drivenrolls or belts. Section 30 is typically composed of parallel chains.

Saw section 12 comprises a battery of multiple vertical band saws whichmay be ganged in a series of two, three, four or more saws. In theillustrated embodiment, all but one of the saws is movable transverselyof the path of material through the saws so that spacing between thevarious saws can be varied. The fixed saw serves as a reference for theother saws. In the illustrated apparatus there are four saw assemblies32, 33, 34, 35 with only saw assembly 32 being fixed. Each movable sawis movable by its own setworks 36, 37, 38 indicated schematically inFIG. 2. Each setworks comprises a series of air or hydraulic cylinders39 connected in tandem in a well-known manner. However, all of the sawsmay be adapted for lateral movement if desired.

Infeed table 22 mounts a line bar 42, also shown schematically in FIG.2, which guides material into the saws and which extends into the sawsection behind the No. l or fixed saw 32. The lateral movement of linebar 42 relative to the No. 1 saw is controlled by its own setworks 44.Alternatively, the line bar can be fixed and used as a reference and allof the saws moved relative to the line bar.

Edge picker table 24 includes a pair of upright and longitudinallyextending separating plates 46, 48 shown schematically in both FIGS. 1and 2. Plate 46 is normally aligned longitudinally with the No. l orfixed saw 32, and plate 48 is normally aligned with the No. 4 oroutermost movable saw 35. Plate 48 is operatively connected to setworks38 of the No. 4 saw so as to move therewith and thus maintain itsalignment with such saw. Separating plates 46 and 48 function while thesaws are edging to separate the major portion of the material to beprocessed into lumber from the edge trimmings which usually will beprocessed later into chips. As shown in FIG. 2, either one or bothplates 46 and 48 can be retracted out of alignment with their respectivesaws by cylinders 50, 52 during the resawing operation.

GENERAL METHOD OF OPERATION The general method of operation of themachine is illustrated schematically in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 through use ofa control panel 58 shown in FIG. 6. The machine can be operated by asingle operator positioned in an overhead control cage, usuallypositioned above infeed table 22 just upstream from saw section 12 inapproximately position 54 indicated by dashed lines in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 2, means are provided for casting shadow lines orotherwise superimposing fixed lines indicated generally at 56 in awell-known manner on or in front of a log L approaching the saws so thatan operator looking down on the approaching log can see immediately howmany good lines," or in other words, how many good boards, mayeventually be cut from the log. The log L has been flattened on at leastone side in another machine and approaches the saws with the flattenedside facing down. In the illustrated machine, the No. 1 saw 32 serves asa zero reference for the line bar 42 and the movable saws.

With log L approaching the saws, the operator estimates that line bar 42should be set approximately 2 inches to the right of saw 32 so that suchsaw will line up just inside the bark-covered right-hand edge portion ofthe log. He therefore presses the --2" one of the line bar minus setsbuttons 60, which is programmed to transmit the necessary signals to theline bar setworks 44 to adjust the line bar 2 inches to the right ofsuch saw. Line bar buttons 60 are set to adjust the line bar at one-inchincrements to the right of the No. I saw as indicated on the buttons.

The operator may estimate that there are seven good lines" in the log Lapproaching in FIG. 2. He therefore pushes button No. 7 of the lines perlog buttons 62 on control panel 58. Such button is programmed toactivate saw setworks 36, 37, 38 to align the No. 4 saw along the No. 7lines per out line, position the No. 2 saw midway between the No. l andNo. 4 saws and pull the No. 3 saw out of the cut altogether, as shown inFIG. 3. With the saws thus positioned, they cut log L into two cants Aand B as indicated in FIG. 3, which pass downstream between separatorplates 46, 48. At the same time the separator plates guide edgetrimmings C and D outside the plates where means convey such trimmingsoff the side of such table.

Both cants A and B move downstream to sweep table 26 which sweeps themoff the right-hand side of the table as shown in FIG. 1 to therecirculating conveyor, which returns them to preparation table 18. Ascants return to the saws, the operator pushes resaw button R whichautomatically gangs the four saws and line bar equal distances apart.Pushing the resaw button can also automatically pull separator plates46, 48 out of alignment with their respective saws. Both cants A and Bcan then be resawn as shown in FIG. 4.

After reswing, each of the three boards 8,, 3,, B cut from cant B can berecirculated again by the sweep table for edging of each board to apredetermined width. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, a board 8;, havingrough side edges E and F is edged to a predetermined width by the Nos. 1and 4 saws with the Nos. 2 and 3 saws pulled out of the cut. To performthis function with the illustrated machine, one of the edge" buttons 64is pressed, depending on the desired width of the board, that is, thedesired distance between the Nos. 1 and 4 saws. The number on each suchbutton indicates the spacing that such button will provide between theNo. l and No. 4 saws. If the operator detennines that board 8,, wouldform a good 8-inch board, he presses edge button 8, automaticallysetting the Nos. 1 and 4 saws eight inches apart. At the same time hepushes the appropriate line bar button 60 to remove the desiredthickness of edge E on the righthand side of the board as shown in FIG.5. The edge buttons 64 are programmed to pull the Nos. 2 and 3 saws outof the cut when pressed.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the apparatus is capable ofcarrying out at least three different sawing functions; first, edging orbreaking down a log to form cants; second, resawing cants into boards ofequal thickness; and third, edging each of the boards formed by theresaw or other operation.

As previously indicated, a suitable circuitry is provided for moving thesaw and linebar setworks to the desired extent through activation, forexample, of solenoid valves in conjunction with each setworks. The samecircuitry controls movement of edging separator plates to the desiredextent. As the description of the various components of the apparatusproceeds, it will be apparent that operation of various other componentsof the apparatus, such as the side press rolls, overhead rolls and sweeptable, could also be programmed to operate automatically in the desiredmanner and at the desired time upon pressing one of the various buttonsshown on the control panel for controlling the primary machinefunctions.

PREPARATION TABLE The details of the preparation table 18 are shown mostclearly in FIGS. 7 and 9 through 14. The table includes side channelframe members 66 supported on leg members 68, 69 and cross frame members70. A series of driven rolls 72 are mounted in bearing members 73 onframe members 66. The rolls are driven through endless drive chains 74,75 trained about drive sprockets 76 mounted on one set of ends of theroll shafts. The drive chains are driven by an electric motor (notshown), controlled remotely by the operator in overhead cage 54.

The preparation table includes a series of side transfer means 78capable of transferring material from either side of the preparationtable sideways onto the table and positioning the material transverselyat any desired position on the table. As shown best in FIGS. 10 and 11,each side transfer means includes an elongated chain bar 80 rotatablymounting sprockets 81 and 82 at its opposite ends. An endless chain 83is trained about the bar and sprockets. Sprocket 82 is fixed to a drivenshaft 84, while bar 80 is pivotable with respect to such shaft. As shownin FIG. 9, shaft 84 is common to all four of the side transfermechanisms. Such shaft is mounted in bearings 85 at its opposite endsand coupled at 86 to reversible air motor 88. Thus the shaft and thefour side transfer chains can be rotated in either of oppositedirections to transfer material from either side of the preparationtable onto such table and to position the material at any desiredtransverse position on the table.

As shown in FIG. 10, the side transfer mechanisms are pivotable frominoperative positions below the upper level of rolls 72 to raisedoperative positions 78 above the level of the rolls to bring materialonto the table. The pivoting means includes a double cylinderand-linkagearrangement including horizontal double cylinder 90, a bell crank 91 ona shaft 92, and a vertical push rod 93 connected by clevis 94 to chainbar 80. A slightly different pivoting arrangement is used for the singleside transfer mechanism near the downstream end of the table as shown inFIG. 1 l. A simplified pivoting means can be used for this side transferbecause of greater availability of space beneath the table at thispoint. The pivoting means includes a simple double vertical cylinder 96connected at its lower end to a cross frame member 97 and at its upperend by a clevis to a chain bar 80. The double cylinders are used toachieve high and low infeed positions. The high position is used whenbringing material onto the table from one side over the line bars. Thelow position is used when receiving material from the opposite side.

The preparation table also includes straightedge means extendinglongitudinally along the top of the table for use in determining thedesired transverse position of the material on the table and guiding thematerial toward the infeed table and saws. Such means includes a pair ofsmall line bars 100, 101 which are aligned longitudinally with primaryline bar 42 of the infeed table. Furthermore, the small line bars movetogether with the large line bar through operation of line bar setworks44. As shown best in FIGS. 12 and 14 with respect to small line bar 101,each such line bar is mounted on a plate 102 supported on sleeves 103,104 adapted to slide along a cylindrical rod 105. The rod is rotatablysupported in bearings 106 within a channelshaped mounting member 108.There are two such mounting arrangements for each small line bar. Powerto rotate rods 105 is taken off driven rolls 72 by a sprocket-and-chaintransmission 110. Chain 110 transmits power to a sprocket 1 11 on a jackshaft 1 12. Shaft 112 transmits power through a sprocket and chain 113upwardly to a sprocket 1 14 on rod 105.

Each plate 102 mounting each line bar 100, 101 is connected to a rack116 which meshes with a pinion 118 fixed to a long continuous set shaft120. Set shaft 120 transmits power from line bar setworks 44 to all ofthe racks for all of the small line bars and to the primary line bar aswell. This will be most apparent from FIGS. 9 and 15. FIG. shows aconnecting rod 122 extending from the line bar setworks 44 to one arm161 of primary line bar 42. As line bar 42 moves, it transmits motionthrough its own racks 158 and pinions (not shown) to set shaft 120 torotate the latter and thereby transmit motion to the two small line barsto the same extent and in the same direction through their respectiveracks and pinions.

The preparation table also includes means for turning or flippingmaterial on the preparation table about its longitudinal axis fororienting the material most efficiently for cutting. Such means includesa first series of flipper means 126 shown in FIG. 12 for turning thematerial counterclockwise about its axis. Such means also includes asecond series of flipper means 128 shown in FIG. 14 for turning thematerial in a clockwise direction about its axis and moving the materialagainst line bars 100, 101. The flippers can also be used to hold a thinpiece upright on edge against the small line bars.

Flipper member 126 has a hooked and inclined upper material-engagingsurface 130 shaped to turn the log in the desired direction. Suchflipper is moved vertically upwardly from its inoperative position belowthe upper level of roll 72 by a vertical power cylinder 132.

Cylinder 132 is connected to a downward extension member 134 of line bar101 so that the flipper moves back and forth across the table asdictated by movement of the line bar. However, the lower end of cylinder132 is connected to a wheel 136 adapted to roll along a track 137 on across frame member 138 of the table so that the high forces imposed uponthe flipper when it strikes and lifts the heavy material are transmittedthrough the wheel to the frame of the table rather than to the line barmechanism.

Flipper arm 128 pivots on a shaft 140 from a lowered position below theupper level of rolls 72 to a vertical position above such rolls. Ahorizontally mounted powered cylinder 142 actuates the flipper amthrough a bell crank 143, linkage 144 and crank arm 145.

Summarin'ng the operation of the preparation table, material fed intoeither side of the table by the transfer chains 20 or 30 is transferredonto the table by the side transfer chain sets 78. The side transferchains are pivoted upwardly at the desired time to clear the rolls andline bars while their individual chains are rotated in the desireddirection to convey the material onto the table. Thereafter the sidetransfer chains are lowered to rest the material on the rolls. Thevarious flippers are then actuated to turn the material until it is inthe most desirable orientation for cutting. Flippers 128 also push thematerial against the line bars to bring it into proper alignment withthe saws. At the same time line bars 100 and 101 have been positionedtransversely with the primary line bar 42 as determined by the operatorpressing the proper line bar set button 60 on control panel 58. Thematerial is then conveyed by driven rolls 72 onto the infeed table andtoward the saws. Operation of the side transfer chains, flippers, rollsand line bars is controlled from the remote overhead operator's cage.

INFEED TABLE lnfeed table 22, shown most clearly in FIGS. 15, 16 and 17,forms a downstream continuation of the preparation table and is designedto feed the material positively and accurately into and through the sawsat variable speeds.

The infeed table includes a series of driven rolls which, like the rolls72 of the preparation table, are supported in bearings on oppositelongitudinal side frame members 152 forming continuations of the sideframe members 66 of the preparation table. Driven rolls 150 are driventhrough a drive chain 154 and sprocket arrangement by a variable speedelectric motor (not shown), the operation and speed of which iscontrolled remotely by the operator in cage 54.

The two conveyor rolls 156, 157 nearest the downstream end of the infeedtable next to the saws are so-called Coleman" rolls, well known in thelumber manufacturing industry. These rolls have longitudinally toothedsurfaced for providing a positive gripping engagement with the material,thereby facilitating feeding of the material positively into the saws.Coleman rolls 156 and 157 are driven in the same manner as the plainrolls 150 and 72.

As previously indicated, primary line bar 42 is mounted to move acrossthe infeed table for adjustment of its position relative to No. 1 saw32. Such line bar extends downstream into saw section 12 of theapparatus just behind the blade of the No. 1 saw, as shown in FIG. andschematically in FIGS. 2 through 5.

Line bar 42 is mounted in a manner substantially identical to the mannerof mounting small line bars 100 and 101, already described. Aspreviously mentioned, rod 122 from the line bar setworks moves line bar42. This motion is transmitted through the pair of racks 58 to pinionson set shaft 120, to transmit such motion to the small line bars.

The primary line bar is composed of two arm sections 160, 161 formingthe straightedge portion of the line bar. The arms are separated by anintennediate dog leg section 162 which is necessary to provide clearancefor a vertically movable overhead roll 164.

With reference to FIGS. 15 and 16, overhead roll 164 is a hollow,resilient roll made of rubber or other resilient airtight material andis inflated under a low pressure. For example, a suitable .roll is aso-called Terra Tira" manufactured by B. F. Goodrich Company. The rollis mounted on a shaft 166 which is freely rotatable and freely shiftablelongitudinally within bearing members 168. The hearings in turn dependfrom hearing support portions 169 of an overhead frame 170 whichincludes longitudinal frame members 171, 172 and a cross frame member173. The rear ends of side frame members 171, 172 are fixed to a pivotshaft 174 pivoted at its opposite ends in bearings 175. The bearings aremounted on the upper ends of a pair of posts 176 supported on oppositeside frame members 152 of the table. Roll 164 is pivoted from its raisedinoperative position to its lowered operative position by uprightactuating cylinder 178 connected at its lower end to the table and atits upper end to a projectin g ear 179 of the overhead frame.

A pair of small inwardly directed air cylinders 181, 182 are mounted onoverhead frame extensions 183 in alignment with and in their retractedpositions spaced outwardly from the outer ends of overhead roll shaft166. Each time the roll returns to its raised position, cylinders 181and 182 extend to abut the outer ends of shaft 166 and center it and itssupported roll 164 over the infeed table in readiness to engage the nextpiece of material.

The overhead roll is lowered to engage the top of the material onlyduring the edging function of the saw.

Referring to FIGS. 15 and 16 the infeed table also includes a pair ofside press rolls 186, 188 movable inwardly across the infeed table topress material against line bar 42 to aid in feeding the material intothe saws and in maintaining exact positioning of the material withrespect to the saws during the resawing operation. The side press rollsare not used at all during the edging operation.

Each side press roll is a Coleman-type roll rotatable about a verticalaxis and driven in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 15 to aid infeeding the material positively into the saws. Side press roll 186 isfixed to a vertical shaft 190. Shaft 190 is rotatably mounted at theouter end of an arm 192. Arm 192 is mounted at its inner end forswinging movement about the axis of another vertical shaft 194. Verticalshaft 194 is rotatably mounted at its upper end in a bearing 196supported by a vertical member 198 fixed to the infeed table. Verticalsupport 198 includes a horizontal arm extension 199 which mounts a powercylinder 200. The

piston rod of such cylinder is connected to an intermediate portion ofswinging arm 192 for pivoting side press roll 186 from its retractedposition shown in solid lines in FIG. 15 to its operative position shownin dashed lines in the same figure.

Power for rotating press roll 186 about its vertical axis is taken offthe shaft 202 of one of the driven conveyor rolls as shown in FIG. 16.Roll shah 202 is coupled at 203 to a shaft extension 204. whichtransmits power through a gear box 205 to a lower extension of verticalshafi 194. A sprocket 206 fixed to an upper portion of shaft 194transmits power through a chain 207 to another sprocket 208 at the upperend of shaft mounting press roll 186 to drive the roll. The drivingconnection between conveyor roll 150 and side press roll 186 is suchthat both rolls are timed and rotated to feed material into the saws ata speed as determined by the speed of the conveyor rolls.

Referring now to FIGS. 15, 17 and 18, the second side press roll 188 ismovable along a straight path toward and away from line bar 42 becauseof the lack of space in the area of the saws where roll 188 functions.Roll 188 is fixed to a vertical shaft 210 which is rotatably mounted atthe outer end of a horizontal arm extension 211 of a carriage 212. Thecarriage is mounted for sliding movement along a pair of parallelhorizontal slide rods 214, 215 which extend across the table slightlybelow the upper level of the driven rolls. The carriage and itssupported side press roll are moved across the table by a horizontallymounted power cylinder 216 which extends outwardly from one side of theinfeed table and which is supported on an extension member 218 of theframe.

Press roll 188 is driven in a direction to feed material into the sawsthrough a sprocket-and-chain drive arrangement which includes a firstsprocket 220 at the upper end of shaft 210 and a horizontal chain 221extending from sprocket 220 to a second sprocket 222. The secondsprocket is mounted on a vertical shaft at the upper end of a gear box223. Power is transmitted to the gear box from slide rod 214 through asprocket 224 on the rod, chain 225 and sprocket 226 carried by ahorizontal shaft of gear box 223. Shaft 214 is rotated through anappropriate drive connection 227 with one of the conveyor rolls such asroll 157. Sprocket 224 is keyed to shaft 214, but the keyway on suchshaft is long while the key is short in length so that the sprocket canslide on such shaft with carriage 212.

The two side press rolls move simultaneously inwardly to press thematerial against the line bar during a resawing operation. Of course,the press rolls can be programmed to move in this manner automaticallywhenever the operator presses the resaw button on control panel 58.Similarly, overhead roll 164 can be programmed to lower into engagementwith the material whenever the operator presses one of the lines per cutbuttons 62 or one of the edging buttons 64 of the control panel.

SAW SECTION Saw section 12 is perhaps illustrated best in FIGS. 7 and 15as well as schematically in FIG. 2. The saw section is not shown in anygreat detail because all of the components thereof, with the exceptionof the saw guides, shown in detail in FIGS. 28 through 32, areconventional and have been manufactured, for example, by Albany Machine& Supply, Inc., of Albany, Oregon, for many years.

Each saw is a conventional vertical band saw, with a wheel diameter ofusually five or six feet, with the lower wheels individually driven byseparate electric motors 228. Each saw includes a carriage portion 230which mounts the motor and which is mounted for in-and-out slidingmovement on a track portion 232 of a base member 234.

As previously mentioned, the No. 1 saw 32 can remain in a fixed positionthrough the operation of the apparatus and therefore in such instancewould have no setworlts. However, each of the other saws is operativelyconnected through a connecting rod 236 to its associated setworks asillustrated with respect to the No. 4 saw 35. Vertical band saws movedin this manner to vary the spacing between the bands are well known inthe industry. Reference is made to FIG. 2 and the accompanyingdescription for an understanding of the positioning of the three movablesaws to carry out the various sawing functions. Such saws can be gangedin batteries of two or more if desired, rather than four, depending onthe requirements of the user.

SAW GUIDES in H6. 28 one of the three movable saws 33 is shown somewhatschematically in side elevation. The saw includes a lower driven wheel240 and an upper wheel 242 about which an endless band saw blade 244 istrained. A lower saw guide assembly 246 and an upper saw guide assembly248 are mounted just below and just above the cutting area 250 of thesaw band. The purpose of these guides is to prevent the band fromtwisting or wandering in the cut and to maintain the blade vertical andstraight as it cuts through the material. The guides frictionally engagethe saw band to carry out their guiding function.

Typically in the past, the band-engaging portions of the saw guides havecomprised a series of wooden blocks that were simply hammered in or outto obtain the desired alignment of the sawblades while the saws wereshut down. If the saw went out of alignment during its operation, themachine would be shut down and the saw blades realigned, again byhammering the blocks in or out as required.

In accordance with the present invention and referring to FIG. 29, lowersaw guide 246 includes a series of four guide cylinders 252 made of awood byproduct known as lignum vitae having a low coefficient offriction, or other suitable material having similar characteristics. Asshown in FIG. 30, each guide cylinder 252 has a metal backing plate 254and is slidably received within one of four horizontally aligned guideopenings 256 of a guide cylinder holder 258. The frontal face 260 ofeach guide cylinder engages an inside face of saw band 250. Guidecylinder holder 258 is received within a front opening 280 of a guidesupport member 262. The support retains the holder in position withinthe opening with a pin 264. By pulling pin 264, the holder can bequickly removed from its support for maintenance. Support 262 includes amounting plate 266 which attaches to saw frame 278.

Four adjustment screws 270 are threaded through the rear wall 268 ofguide holder 258 into engagement with the metal backings 254 of theguide cylinders. Each adjustment screw includes a lock nut 272 by whichthe relative axial positioning of each guide cylinder 252 may be fixed.Each guide cylinder 252 also includes a keyway 274 into which analigning pin 276 extends from the holder to prevent the guide cylindersfrom turning about their axes.

From FIG. 30 it is seen that holder 258 fits within the opening of framesupport 262 with a slight clearance between the ends of the holder andthe support, as at 280. This clearance permits a slight pivotingmovement of the holder within opening 280 of the support to provide fora slight skew adjustment of the saw blade 250. This adjustment isachieved through a screw adjustment means 282 including a threadedmember 284 threaded through support member 266. Member 284 has a knurledknob 286 at one end and a disc 288 with a peripheral groove 289 at theopposite end. A guide rod 290 extends within groove 289 and is attachedto one side of holder 258 by a nut 292 at one end of the rod and nuts294, 295 at its opposite end. These nuts are fixed as by welding to anouter side wall of guide holder 258.

Thus by screwing threaded member 284 in or out of support 266, disc 288pivots holder 258 about the axis of pin 264, thereby providing a skewadjustment of the saw band 250. There is also a set screw 296 operablein conjunction with the adjustment screw 284 to maintain the holder andthus the saw in a predetermined position of adjustment with respect tothe axis of pin 264.

As shown in FIGS. 31 and 32, upper guide assembly 248 is generallysimilar in construction to the lower guide assembly except for the meansby which such assembly is connected to saw frame 278. The difference inthe connections is dictated by the peculiarities of construction of thesaw frame itself.

The upper guide assembly includes four guide cylinders 300 of the sameconstruction as the lower guide cylinders 252. The cylinders are mountedin a guide holder 302 in the same manner as the lower guide cylinders.Four adjustment screws 304 extend through the back of the holder intoengagement with the metal backings of the four guide cylinders toprovide outward screw adjustment of such cylinders with respect to thesaw band 250.

Holder 302 is mounted within an outer opening 306 of a support arm 308by the single pin 314. The arm is connected to the saw frame 278 byfasteners 310.

A screw adjustment means 312 is provided like the screw adjustment 282of the lower guide to provide a skew adjustment of the holder and thussaw band 250 with respect to the axis of pin 314. A set screw 316 with alock nut 318 secures the adjustment screw 312 against movement afterholder 302 is positioned.

The foregoing guides enable adjustment of the saw band with the variousscrew adjustments while the saw is in operation whenever the operatordetects that the saw is not aligned properly with the material beingcut.

EDGE PICKER TABLE Referring especially to FIGS. 15, 19, 20, 21 and 22,edge picker table 14 includes longitudinal side frame members 320 andcross frame members 322 supported on legs 321 and defining the generalwidth of the major portion of the table. Additional side frame members324 extend upstream from the main table into the saw section 12. Thisupstream extension of the table is of slightly narrower width than themajor portion of the table and mounts a pair of Coleman rolls 326, 327which are driven in a direction tending to pull material downstreamthrough the saw section.

The main portion of the picker table includes a series of plain drivenrolls 328, and at the downstream end thereof three screw rolls 330provided with spiral ribs 331. All of the ribbed and plain rolls aredriven in the same direction through a drive chain 332 and drivesprockets 334.

The spiral ribs 331 on screw rolls 330 are wrapped around the rolls inopposite directions on opposite sides of the pair of separating plates46, 48 so that material on opposite sides of such plates is conveyed offthe opposite sides of the edge picker table. To facilitate side movementof edge trimmings from the picker table without damage to driveelements, the sides of the table are provided with downwardly inclinedshielding 336 as shown best in FIGS. 19 and 21.

Just downstream from the saw section the outfeed table mounts a secondoverhead roll assembly 338 which is generally similar in constructionand operation to the overhead roll structure on the infeed table. Thefunction of the two overhead rolls is also the same in applying adownward force against the top of material during the edging operationto prevent the material from wandering sideways as it moves through thesaws.

As shown best in FIGS. and 19, the overhead roll structure includes aresilient pneumatic roll 340 fixed to a shaft 341 which is freelyrotatable and shiftable ax ially in its bearing supports. Air cylinders342 outwardly of the opposite ends of shaft 341 recenter the shaft androll with respect to the outfeed table upon each return of the roll toits inoperative position. The roll and its supporting shaft is carriedby an overhead frame structure 344 which is connected to a pivot shaft346 which pivots in bearings 347 on side frame members 348. The sideframe members extend forwardly to a pair of support posts 349 carried bythe upstream end of the picker table.

An upright power cylinder 350 has a piston rod connected to the overheadframe 344 at 352, with the lower end of the cylinder being connected tothe edge picker table at 354.

As with overhead roll 164, the downstream overhead roll 340 can beprogrammed to automatically lower to engage the material whenever alines-per-cut button 62 or edge button 64 is pressed on control panel58.

Separator plates 46 and 48 each include a flange portion 356. Two pairsof full mounting sleeves 358, 3580, 359, 3590 are attached to theunderside of the flanges at the forward ends of the shear plates. Pairsof half mounting sleeves 360, 3600, 361, 3610, 362, 362a are attached tosuch flanges at the intermediate and rear ends of the plates. The fullsleeves slide along transverse guide rods 364, 365. These rods arerotatably mounted in bearings 366 at opposite sides of the table anddriven through the same chain-and-sprocket drive system that drivesconveyor rolls 328. Similarly, the half sleeves slide on rods 368, 369,370. These rods are also rotatably mounted in bearings at opposite sidesof the table and rotated through the same chain-andsprocket drive systemas the conveyor rolls. The guide rods are rotated to facilitate slidingmovement of the separating plates without binding and with minimumfriction and wear.

Each separating plate 46, 48 is divided into three separate sectionsincluding a short front section 460, 48a, a relatively shortintermediate section 46b, 48b, and a relatively long rear section 46c,48c. The three sections of each plate are hinged together at verticalhinges 372, 374. The hinged sections permit accurate lateral movement ofthe front section or any other section of each plate while tending tominimize binding of the plate on the slide rods as might otherwise occurbecause of the long length of each plate.

The rear ends of the rear sections 460, 48c of the two separator platesflare outwardly to form stops 376, 378. Edge trimmings moving downstreamon the picker table outside the separator plates strike stops 376, 378to end their downstream movement. Thereafter such trimmings are workedoff the opposite sides of the table by the screw rolls 330. As thisoccurs, material fed downstream between the separator plates continuesdownstream under the influence of conveyor rolls 328 and the plaincentral portions of the screw rolls onto a pair of transfer rolls at thedownstream end of the edge picker table. The transfer rolls include aColeman roll 380 and a plain roll 382 rotatably mounted at theiropposite ends on downstream extensions of side frame members 320 whichjoin the edge picker table to the sweep table 26.

As previously indicated with reference to FIG. 2, separator plate 46normally remains in alignment with the No. I saw 32 while means areprovided for moving separator plate 48 in alignment with the No. 4movable saw 35. Also as previously indicated, means are provided forpulling both separator plates out of alignment with their respectivesaws during resaw operations.

These means include 'a pair of ears 384 extending downwardly and to oneside from opposite ends of each of full sleeves 358, 359 and anotherpair of ears 386 extending down and to the opposite side of sleeves358a, 359a, as shown best in FIGS. 15 and 20. A pair of cross chains388, 3880 connect at one end to ears 384 of sleeves 358, 359 and extendabout driven sprockets 390, 3900 keyed to a longitudinal shaft 392 atone side of the picker table. From there the chains extend back beneaththe table and about idler sprockets 394, 3940 rotatable on a secondshaft 396 extending along the opposite side of the picker table. Fromthese idler sprockets, the chains extend back beneath the table andconnect at their opposite ends to the other ears 384 of sleeves 358, 359of separator plate 48.

Another driven sprocket 398 keyed to the upstream end of shaft 392receives a chain 400 which extends downwardly at an inclination toanother sprocket 402 on a jack shaft 404. This shaft extends toward theNo. 4 saw, and its opposite end terminates at a subframe portion 406 ofsuch saw as shown in FIG. 22. A sprocket 408 on the opposite end ofshaft 404 is connected by a chain 410 to another sprocket 412. Chain 410has a direct connection 405 with a movable frame portion 407 of the No.4 saw 35 so that movement of such saw by its setworks 38 moves chain 410through an equal distance.

Summarizing, movement of the No. 4 saw by its setworks drives chain 410which transmits motion through

1. An infeed apparatus for a machine for edging and resawing lumber,said apparatus comprising: infeed conveyor table means includingconveyor means for transferring material to be processed endwisedownstream to a saw cutting section positioned downstream adjacent saidconveyor table means, line bar means extending longitudinally of saidconveyor table into said saw section, side pressing means movabletransversely of said table adjacent said saw section for pressing apiece of material against said line bar means, and overhead pressingmeans movable downwardly into engagement with a top surface portion ofsaid material in a position adjacent said saw section, said overheadpressing means comprising a pneumatic roll inflated under a low pressureand freely rotatable by said material as it is conveyed on said tablemeans.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said pneumatic roll isfreely shiftable transversely of said table under the influence ofmaterial moving on said table means.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 1wherein said overhead pressing means includes a roll freely rotatableand freely shiftable transversely of said table means under theinfluence of said material, said roll including means for centering saidroll with respect to means mounting said roll following each successiveengagement with material fed downstream by said table means. 4.Apparatus according to claim 1 including preparation table meansupstream from said conveyor table means, said preparation table meansincluding a series of driven rolls forming an upstream continuation ofsaid conveyor table means, straight edge means in longitudinal alignmentwith said line bar means, side transfer means for conveying materialsideways onto said preparation table from both sides thereof and forshifting said material sideways on said preparation table means, andmeans for turning said material about its longitudinal axis in bothdirections on said preparation table.
 5. Apparatus according to claim 4wherein said side transfer means includes a plurality of transfer chainmeans each movable from a lower inoperative position below the upperlevel of said driven rolls to an upper operative position above thelevel of said rolls, and means for driving said transfer chain means inopposite directions for shifting material sideways in both directionsacross said preparation table means.
 6. Outfeed apparatus for a machinefor resawing and edging lumber using multiple transversely movable sawmeans, said apparatus comprising: a first outfeed section justdownstream from said saw means including means for separating edgetrimmings from the material being processed into lumber, and a secondoutfeed section downstream from said first outfeed section for conveyingsaid material selectively in at least two different directions. 7.Apparatus according to claim 6 including means for rendering said firstoutfeed section temporarily inoperative when said saw means areoperating in their resaw mode.
 8. Apparatus according to claim 6including an overhead roll structure carried by said first outfeedsection, said structure including a freely rotatable resilient rollfreely shiftable transversely of the path of travel of said material andmeans for moving said roll into engagement with the top surface portionof said material at a position just downstream from said saw means. 9.Outfeed apparatus for a machine for resawing and edging lumber usingmultiple transversely movable saw means, said apparatus comprising:means for separating the edge trimmings from the material to be resawnemerging from said saw means, said separating means including a pair ofupright thin transversely spaced apart separating plates extendinglongitudinally downstream from said saw means, means mounting each ofsaid plates in alignment with a different one of said multiple sawmeans, at least one of said plates being movable in a manner so as tomaintain its alignment with one of said saw means, and means forselectively moving said pair of separating plates out of alignment withtheir respective saw means.
 10. Apparatus according to claim 9 includingconveyor table means for conveying material downstream between said pairof separating plates and means for conveying edge trimmings when theouter sides of said pair of separating plates sideways from saidconveyor table means.
 11. Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein saidpair of plates are mounted on a conveyor table means including a seriesof driven rolls, said plates extending upwardly above the upper level ofsaid rolls, said rolls extending transversely between and beyond theouter sides of said plates, stop means near the downstream end of saidconveyor table means operable to limit the downstream movement of edgetrimmings on said rolls outside of said plates without limitingdownstream movement of material between said plates, and means adjacentsaid stop means for conveying edge trimmings outside said platessideways from said table means.
 12. Outfeed apparatus for a machine foredging and resawing lumber using multiple transversely movable sawmeans, said apparatus comprising: table means downstream from saidmultiple saw means comprising a series of rolls, said series extendingin the direction of travel of material through said saw means, and saidrolls individually extending transversely of said direction of travel, aseries of sweep fingers aligned with one another longitudinally of saidtable means, means for moving said series of sweep fingers togethertransversely of said table means in opposite directions for sweepingmaterial sideways from said table means, and overhead roll meanssupported on said table means and movable from an inoperative positionabove the material being processed to an operative position inengagement with a top surface of said material just downstream from saidmultiple saw means.
 13. Apparatus according to claim 12 wherein saidsweep fingers include means for pivoting said fingers simultaneouslybetween operative positions extending above the upper level of saidrolls to inoperative positions extending below the upper level of saidrolls.
 14. Apparatus according to claim 12 including means for drivingsaid rolls and a plurality of lift skid means positioned between saidrolls and movable from inoperative positions below the upper level ofsaid rolls to operative positions above the level of said rolls forlifting material from said rolls, said fingers in their operativepositions extending above the level of said skid means in theiroperative positions so that said fingers can sweep material sidewaysalong said skids from said table means, whereby materials can beselectively transferred from the downstream end of said table means ortransversely from said table means.
 15. Apparatus according to claim 14wherein each said lift skid means is split transversely of its lengthinto two sections, each section including means for selectively raisingand lowering said section independently of the raising and lowering ofthe other said section.
 16. Apparatus according to claim 12 includingmeans for shifting said table means sideways with and to the same extentas the movement of a movable one of said saw means for maintaining apredetermined alignment of said sweep fingers with said movable sawmeans.
 17. Outfeed apparatus for a machine for edging and resawinglumber using multiple transversely movable saw means, said apparatuscomprising: table means downstream from said multiple saw meanscomprising a series of rolls, said series extending in the path oftravel of material through said saw means, and said rolls individuallyextending transversely of said path of travel, a series of sweep fingersaligned with one another longitudinally of said table means, means formoving said series of sweep fingers together transversely of said tablemeans in opposite directions for sweeping material sideways from saidtable means in either direction, and means for side-shifting said tablemeans transversely of said path of travel for aligning and maintainingalignment of said sweep fingers behind a selected one of said movablesaw means.
 18. Apparatus according to claim 17 wherein saidside-shifting means includes drive means operably connected to a movableone of said multiple saw means for side-shifting said table means withand to the same extent as said movable saw means.
 19. Apparatusaccording to claim 18 wherein said drive means includes a central shaftmeans extending longitudinally beneath said series of rolls androtatable in response to movement of said movable saw means, and chainmeans extending from sprocket means on said central shaft means toopposite sides of said table means.
 20. Apparatus according to claim 17wherein said sweep fingers include means for pivoting said fingerssimultaneously between operative positions extending above the upperlevel of said rolls to inoperative positions extending below the upperlevel of said rolls.
 21. Apparatus according to claim 17 including meansfor driving said rolls and a plurality of lift skid means positionedbetween said rolls and movable from inoperative positions below theupper level of said rolls to operative positions above the level of saidrolls for lifting material from said rolls, said fingers in theiroperative positions extending above the level of said skid means intheir operative positions so that said fingers can sweep materialsideways along said skids from said table means, whereby materials canbe selectively transferred from the downstream end of said table meansor transversely from said table means.
 22. Apparatus according to claim21 wherein each said lift skid means is split transversely of its lengthinto two sections, each section including means for selectively raisingand lowering said section independently of the raising and lowering ofthe otHer said section.